Plus One Economics Chapter Wise Questions and Answers Chapter 1 Indian Economy on the Eve of Independence

Kerala Plus One Economics Chapter Wise Questions and Answers Chapter 1 Indian Economy on the Eve of Independence

Plus One Economics Indian Economy on the Eve of Independence One Mark Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Who among the following attempted to estimate India’s national income for the pre-independence period.
(i) Dadabhai Navoroji
(ii) V.K.R.V. Rao
(iii) R.C. Desai
(iv) All the above
Answer:
(iv) All the above

Question 2.
Zamindari system was introduced in India in:
(i) 1757
(ii) 1782
(iii) 1793
(iv) 1800
Answer:
(iii) 1793

Question 3.
The theory of demographic transition has ____ stages.
(i) 2
(ii) 3
(iii) 4
(iv) 5
Answer:
(iii) 4

Question 4.
Choose the correct answer.
The first all India population census was conducted in the year.
(i) 1965
(ii) 1870
(iii) 1872
(iv) 1882
Answer:
(iii) 1872

Question 5.
Occupational structure refers to:
(i) number of workers living in a country
(ii) size of working population in the industrial sector
(iii) distribution of working population among different occupations
(iv) nature of different occupations in the economy.
Answer:
(iii) distribution of working population among different occupations

Question 6.
When was India’s first official census operation undertaken?
Answer:
India’s first official census took place in 1881.

Question 7.
Per capita income means:
(i) National income / population
(ii) Population / national income
(iii) Total capital /population
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) National income / population

Question 8.
At the time of independence, _____ % of population in India engaged in agricultural activities.
Answer:
72%

Question 9.
How many stages are there in theory of demographic transition?
Answer:
Four Stages.

Question 10.
According to 2011 census, the total population of India is _____ crores?
Answer:
121 crores.

Question 11.
Which is regarded as the defining year to mark the demographic transition from its first to the second decision stage?
Answer:
1921 is considered as the dividing year. Before 1921, India was in the first stage of demographic transition. The second stage of transition started after 1921.

Question 12.
Which of the following factors are true regarding the foreign trade of India under colonial period?
(i) Large export surplus
(ii) Import of commodities like wool, sugar, and indigo to India.
(iii) Light machinery produced in the factories of India.
(iv) Indian trade was dominated with China, Ceylon, and Persia.
Answer:
(i) Large export surplus

Plus One Economics Indian Economy on the Eve of Independence Two Mark Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Comment on Indian infant mortality rate and life expectancy.
Answer:
At the time of British rule, Indian infant mortality rate was very high. It was 218 per thousand. Life expectancy was very low. It was just 44 years.

Question 2.
Mention the growing regional variation in occupational structure of India under British rule.
Answer:
70 -75 percent of Indian workforce was engaged in agriculture 10 percent in manufacturing and 15-20 percent in services. But parts of the Madras presidency witnessed a fall in the dependence of the workforce on agricultural sector and an increase in manufacturing and service sector.

Question 3.
State whether true or false.

1. Rao’s estimate of national income during the colonial period is regarded very significant
2. The policy of British government made India an exporter of finished goods and importer of primary products.

Answer:

1. True
2. False. The British policy made India an importer of finished products and exporter of primary products.

Question 4.
Name some notable economists who estimated India’s per capita income during the colonial period?
Answer:
Dadabhai Naoroji, Finlay Shirras, William Digby, VKRV Rao, and RC Desai were the notable economists who estimated India’s per capita income during the colonial period.

Question 5.
Name some modern industries which were in operation in our country at the time of independence.
Answer:
The modern industries which were in operation in our country at the time of independence were:

• Cotton and jute textile mills
• The iron and steeUjompany
• Sugar industry
• Cement industry

Question 6.
What was the twofold motive behind the systematic de-industrialization effected by the British in pre-independence India?
Answer:
The primary motive of the colonial government behind the policy of systematic de-industrialization was two-fold:

1. To turn India into a market of finished products of those industries which were established in Britain.
2. To reduce India to a status of a mere exporter of important raw materials for the industries in Britain.

Question 7.
What do you mean by commercialisation of agriculture?
Answer:
Commercialisation of agriculture means the production of cash crops for the market rather than food crops for self-consumption.

Question 8.
Define economic development.
Answer:
Economic development refers to that process as a result of which, along with increase in real per capita income, there is reduction in inequality, poverty, illiteracy, and disease.

Question 9.
What do you mean by ‘tariff?
Answer:
Tariff is a tax or duty on imports which can be levied either on physical units.

Plus One Economics Indian Economy on the Eve of Independence Three Mark Questions and Answers

Question 1.
“The traditional handicrafts industries were ruined under the British rule”. Do you agree with this view? Give reasons in support of your answer.
Answer:
Yes. India’s traditional handicraft industries were ruined under British rule. There were many reasons behind this. The British adopted the strategy of systematically de-industrializing India. The main raw materials required by the handicraft industries such as cotton and silk were exported to Britain and instead imported to Indian markets the finished products which are low cost.

Thus, due to lack of raw materials, reduced markets and no government policies to protect the handicraft industry resulted in collapse of the Indian handicraft industries.

Question 2.
Highlight the salient features of India’s pre-independence occupational structure?
Answer:
The distribution of working persons across different industries and sectors is called occupational structure. The agricultural sector accounted for the largest share of workforce. About 72 percent people were engaged in agriculture, 10 percent in manufacturing and 18 percent in service sector.

Question 3.
Mention the objectives of British policies of infrastructure development in India?
Answer:
Basic infrastructure like railways, roads, telegraphs, etc. were developed during British period. The purpose behind this was to satisfy various colonial interests.

• Roads were built for the purpose of mobilising the army.
• The introduction of telegraph in India was basically to maintain law and order.
• Railways introduced to mobilise army and raw materials.

Question 4.
Name the states where the following iron and steel industries are located?

1. TISCO
2. IISCO
3. Bhila Steel Plant

Answer:

1. TISCO – (Tata Iron and Steel Co.) – Jharkhand
2. IISCO – (Indian Iron and Steel Co.) – West Bengal
3. Bhilai Steel Plant – Chattisgarh.

Question 5.
What are the major economic challenges of India today?
Answer:

• Low agricultural growth rate
• Rising prices
• Food inflation
• Rapid growth of population
• Poor infrastructure facilities
• Shortage of resources
• Poverty and unemployment

Question 6.
“During British rule land and labour were transformed into commodity”. Justify this statement.
Answer:
Land being the most important income yielding asset in the rural society became a much sought after commodity. The Zamindars, who got land in the British settlement and money lenders who acquires land against their debt, wanted to acquire more and more of it.

All artisans who lost craft and could not be accommodated on land came to town in search of employment. Some of them got employment in factories; some others became coolies and domestic servants. In their case also, labour power became a commodity Thus it can be concluded that during British rule land and labour were transformed into commodity.

Question 7.
What do you understand by the drain of Indian wealth during the colonial rule?
Answer:
The most important feature of India’s foreign trade throughout the colonial period was generation of large export surplus. But this caused scarcity in the domestic market. Further, this export surplus did not result in any flow of gold or silver into India. Rather, this was used to make payments for the expenses incurred by,

• expenses on war
• office setup of British government and
• Import of invisible items.

All these led to drain of Indian wealth during the colonial period.

Plus One Economics Indian Economy on the Eve of Independence Five Mark Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Match the columns

Answer:

Question 2.
The British rule made certain positive contributions. Do you agree? Substantiate your answer.
Answer:
Though the basic intention of the British government was not the development of Indian economy, it left some beneficial effects. The positive contribution of the British rule are noted below

1. Development of means of transport especially railways and communication
2. Political and economic unification of the country
3. Evolution of banking and monetary system
4. Stability, peace, and order
5. Emergence of market economy
6. Introduction of new system of education
7. Establishment of civil laws and courts

Question 3.
“India’s agriculture sector was stagnant during the colonial rule” Do you agree? Substantiate.
Answer:
Yes, India’s agriculture sector was stagnant during the colonial rule. The stagnation in the agriculture sector was caused mainly because of the following.

1. The various systems of land settlement in India.
2. The British government did nothing to improve the condition of agriculture
3. There was immense misery and social tension among the cultivators because of the exploitation by the zamindars
4. Low level of technology, lack of irrigational facilities and use of negligible amount so fertilizers were also responsible for low production in agriculture.

Question 4.
“Our agricultural production received a setback due to the partition of the country”. Do you agree? Substantiate.
Answer:
Yes, I agree with the statement that our agricultural production received a set back due to the partition of the country India’s agricultural production received a further set back due to the country’s partition at the time of independence. A sizeable portion of the undivided country’s highly irrigated and fertile land went to Pakistan this had an Adverse impact upon India’s output from the agriculture sector.

Particularly affected was India’s jute industry since almost the whole of the jute producing area became part of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). India’sjute goods industry (in which the country had enjoyed a world monopoly so far), thus, suffered heavily for lack of raw material.

Question 5.
Given below are certain items of export and import of India during British period. Classify them into a table. (Raw silk, Cotton, Silk, Raw cotton, Machinery, Wool, Chemicals, Edible oils, Medicines, Sugar, Woolen cloth, Indigo, Jute)
Answer:

Question 6.
Indicate the direction of trade at the time of independence.
Answer:
During the British period, the colonial government maintained monopoly over India’s trade. As a result, at the time of independence, more than half of India’s foreign trade was restricted to Britain while the rest was allowed with a few other countries like China, Srilanka, and Iran.

Question 7.
Give an account of the economic policies pursued by the colonial government in India?
Answer:
Since the Britishers had their vested interests in India, that could be seen in the economic policies implimented which meant only to promote their economy at the cost of India’s economy. The impact of the policies resulted into a major change in the structure of the Indian economy:

1. Transformed the country into a net supplier of raw materials and the consumer of the finished industrial products from Britain.

2. The agricultural sector continuously faced stagnation and enormous deterioration. Agricultural productivity become incrementally low.

3. No modern industrial base was allowed to come up. The policies meant to systematically deindustrialize the country.

4. India’s world-famous and centuries-old handicraft industry perished due to the policies layed by colonial rule.

5. Due to all the above factors, the level of unemployment increased.

6. India’s foreign trade was mostly restricted to Britain.

Plus One Economics Chapter Wise Questions and Answers